Celery - It isn't just for mirepoix anymore!

Finally, I did it! After bringing home the most beautiful stalk of celery imaginable I chopped off the ends and put it into a vase of water to help keep it fresh. It sat so proudly on the center island. Looking at it you had to wonder what kind of plant was growing, but after one quick whif you knew in an instant!

Sometimes the most simple recipes can taste the best. I think that is because we are not disguising the core ingredient and using it as close to it's purest form as possible. Although I will admit I may have over done it on the cayenne and as a result have adjusted my recipe accordingly.

The goal of choosing my ingredients was to keep the refreshing flavor of the celery while providing just a hint of heat that you could feel on both the front and back of the mouth. The front of the mouth heat is from the crouton and cayenne garnish, while the heat at the back of the mouth was from the slight pinch of cayenne in the bisque itself.

In the below recipe I have adjusted for my mistake. I would either not put cayenne into the bisque itself as there is plenty of pepper in the crouton and creme fraiche or just add a bit extra black pepper in the bisque. Just don't overpower the wonderful velvety fresh flavor of the celery.

Here is my attempt at Celery Bisque.

Celery Bisque (yields 4 servings)

3 T butter
4 C sliced celery (about 8 stalks)
1 1/2 C chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; from 2 medium)
3/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes potatoes, peeled, diced (or substitute with parsnips)
4 C (or more) low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth
1/3 C plus additional creme faraiche or sour cream
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Chopped fresh celery leaves(optional)

Black pepper croutons (see below recipe)
Cayenne creme fraiche/sour cream - (whisk together to desired taste)

Preparation Instructions:

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add celery and leeks. Saute until celery is slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add potatoes and 4 cups broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until all vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Whisk in 1/3 cup creme fraiche/sour cream. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before serving, adding more broth to thin if desired.)

Ladle soup into bowls. Swirl 1 to 2 teaspoons additional cayenne creme fraiche/sour cream into each. Sprinkle with celery leaves and top with black pepper croutons.

Note: if you omit the croutons and cayenne swirl then you may want to add some cayenne directly into the soup to taste. Do not over power the celery flavor.

*Black Pepper Croutons

1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter
3 C 1/2-inch cubes crust less sourdough bread (about 8 oz)
1 t coarsely cracked black pepper

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and pepper and stir to coat. Saute until croutons are golden and crisp on all sides, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle with salt. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely; store airtight at room temperature.)

My Panic Room

Ah the smell of morning coffee. There is nothing like my morning ritual. Wake up, stumble down the hallway in my sleeping garb, hair all awry and sticking up (much like the way SF men pain stakingly style theirs each morning before they go out for the day) the feeling of plush carpeting on my bare feet as I make my way to the source of the coffee aroma. I know instantly when I reach the kitchen because of the slightly shocking feeling of the cold from the hardwood flooring.

However this day the shock suddenly turns to horror. Some foreign object begins to penetrate the pads of my feet, much like the way pebbles do at the beach. I look down only to realize that feeling is caused from what appears to be the familiar sight of small micro grains of whole wheat bread.

I shouldn't be surprised. This is a common occurrence in my household. You see these grains made their way to the floor from an act of cleaning. (all with good intentions of course) Each morning the center island is turned into a sandwich production counter. Two slices of bread are slapped down on the counter, with no barrier between them and the counter surface. The production begins with a smattering of mayonaise, then some meat and perhaps cheese, and in some instances the marble cutting board across from the island is used to slice tomatoes only to have the seeds left remaining to be found at a later time. Once the sandwhich is finished the clean up begins. Within reach is a soggy sponge that will soon be passed across the surface of the the sandwich production station with the intent to make it sparkle. What really happens is that the crumbs are ever so gently sent plummeting to the hardwood below only to be cleaned up with the soles of my feet. (Thankfully the tomatoes seeds and their juices remain in place on the marble cutting board and don't make their way to the confines of the floor.)

My kitchen is my "PANIC ROOM". It is the place I go to in order to escape the outside world and feel safe. Nothing should violate this space, especially not a crumb. Cleaning a kitchen is essential. Let me tell you about a few ways you can make your "PANIC ROOM" into the safe haven it should be.

Sponges - they are a breeding ground for germs. They do have their place in the kitchen. Ideally the shouldn't be used to clean up the counters and then used to wash dishes. However, realizing this isn't a reality it is important to change your sponge often or to minimize the germs run it through the dishwasher or zap it in the microwave for two minutes. Remember no sponge is 100% germ free.

Drip pans - these are the little metal devises under the burners of the stove. They are meant to catch any small drips that occur when you are cooking. They too need to be treated like a pan. Each time you cook not only wash the pan you were using but take the time and clean the drip pan. Remove them, scrub them if necessary, put them through the dishwasher and make them shine. It will eventually become a ritual and you will be happy you did it!

Stove top - yes the drip pans catch some of your overflow, but what happens when you make that "coca cola cake" and the batter over flows and disappears (more about this cake in another blog)? You think that little drip pan will catch it all? No you need to lift up that stove top and realize the overflow goes underneath. Yes that is where you will find the bits of pasta from the last tenant in the apartment or the grease from your bacon breakfast and that residue of starch from the overflowing Thanksgiving potatoes. Take the time and give it a good cleaning and periodically check back, you will never know what you may find.

Handles - ah yes have you ever taken a look at your refrigerator door handle, really take a look at it. Yes that is chicken juice and barbecue sauce and who knows what else. Disenfect often. Handles to cabinets, stoves, microwaves and refrigerators need to be disenfected.

Ovens - if you are fortunate to have a self cleaning oven you have your work cut out for you. One night before you go to bed put it on self clean and in the morning all the work is done. If you don't have a self cleaning oven, get yourself a maid.

Paper towels - they are your kitchen friend. Yes I know there is the whole "green" kitchen things but hey they help to eliminate the spread of germs. I would rather have a trash can filled with paper towels than spread salmonella to myself or my guests. How often have you seen someone use a cloth kitchen towel to wipe their hands and then 10 minutes later they are using the same towel to dry dishes. When in doubt use paper towel!

These are just a few of my thoughts on how you can make your own little "PANIC ROOM" the safe haven it should be. For more information: http://www.echominnesota.org/pdf/resource/HomeKitchenHazard.pdf

Celery Bisque vs. Cream of Celery Soup

Fall in San Francisco isn't like any other city. When everyone else is waiting for frost we wait for Indian summer. And more often than not this city doesn't fail! It was during one of these great fall days in San Francisco when I decided to take a walk to the SF Ferry Building farmer's market.

Tuesday at the farmers market is a bit different than Saturday. Thursday you find many of the bridge and tunnel crowd, the young business type who would never be at the market on a Saturday because they are still recouping from that after work binge that won't allow them out of bed. This is a good day to go if you want to avoid too many people and still enjoy the wonderful seasonal morsels of goodness the farmers have to offer.

It was on this day when I walked past a stand where there were piles upon piles of the most beautiful celery I have every seen. I know you are saying how boring, celery. But this was like no other. It was cut fresh that morning, the green was very vibrant, the leaves were those of a small bush and the scent of celery overpowered all the other produce around it. I had to buy it, and at $2 a bunch it was cheaper than Whole Foods or the crappy little celery I would find in Bell Market my local supermarket.

Most of us think of celery as just something we add to mirepoix or stuff with peanut butter, cream cheese or put on a crudité platter. But celery is under appreciated in my opinion. I knew immediately I was going to make some variation of soup with my recent purchase. I recently saw in cold celery soup (http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/a-chefs-first-thanksgiving) created by my favorite chef from Boston, Barbara Lynch, who owns No.9 Park (www.no9park.com). As fabulous as her soup sounded, I knew I could come up with something on my own.

In my 20 minute walk from the ferry building to my office I came up with the following concept:

Celery Bisque with a swirl of cayenne creamy fraiche topped with black pepper croutons and a chiffonade of celery leaves.

I am still trying out the recipe and will post my complete results another time. So getting back to my main purpose for this entry.

When arriving back to my office my coworkers wondered what plant I had in my bag only to find out I bought a beautiful specimen of a celery stalk.

Then the question was posed "What are you going to do with this celery?" I told them about my celery bisque. That then begged the question "What is the difference between a celery bisque and a cream of celery soup?"

I was embarrassed to say that I could not come up with the perfect answer. I attended culinary school over three years ago and was very sure I should know this difference but quite honestly I could not come up with the answer.

That evening I was so frustrated with myself for not knowing so I had to do some investigation. Here is what I found:

Bisque: Typically is a pureed food but the thickener is some sort of starch such as a potato or bread and can be finished off with cream.

Cream Soup: Also can be a priority food but the thickener is a béchamel sauce.

So there you have it folks the first cooking 101 lesson from "A Day in the life of a Kitchen Bitch"